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Interview: Os shows us deep inside his introspective nature

We sat down with the excellent new UK artist Os and sliced it up music-wise. He told us stories of school, church, staying away from bad vibes and we slide further into all things Moments and Memories. Ready? Okay then, here we go.

Firstly, how do you usually start your day and how have you been keeping focused with all the general uncertainty in the world?

Os: I appreciate you taking the time to have a chat with me as well. To be honest, most of my days start with prayer. As early as I can remember faith has been a big part of my life and that has become a solid foundation in my routine, after that I try to sleep again before I really get up to work. That extra hour really helps recharge and gives a little boost to help in the day. I don’t believe mornings need to be extravagant or over complicated with routines, we have the rest of the day to do that. Our mornings should be simple and allow us room to process our days. I think that prayer also plays a part in helping me remain grounded and focused. In all honesty it wasn’t always like that, up until the start of last year (2022) I was not able to focus, until I saw a quote about anxiety being fear about the future that you don’t know. I’m sorry that this is a lot of words, but I would say that accepting the fact that there are things that I don’t know and potentially can’t know gives the space to focus on what I do know. So, this is really a new thing for me, learning to just be present and handle the things that I can, not being careless and not planning, but being carefree enough if things don’t go according to those plans.

When you close your eyes for a minute and travel back in time, do you recall those school freestyle battles and what do you take from that experience?

Os: I take joy from the experiences. I went to an all-boys school, and something that is regularly said now that I am older is that “people who went to all-boys schools are really weird”. For me, it is so interesting to hear that because education-wise, those were my best years and the experiences I had have been a recurring talking point since leaving. One of those many experiences is the freestyles. The joy and excitement when someone played a new beat they found, or one that our favourite artists had rapped on then hearing each other have a go at it is something I don’t want to ever forget. Everyone was trying to out-rap each other at the same time adding a cheeky diss or just outright insulting each other. It regularly tested your ability to speak/think on your feet. Obviously, I can’t recall all of them but it helped build that freestyling ability that is so necessary going forward as a rap artist.

Please tell us more about your upcoming project Moments and Memories.

Os: Moments and Memories is a collation of songs that I wrote from 2019-2023, with 8 songs the project is an attempt to provide insight for listeners into the moments and memories that make me who I am. It was never my intent for them to be a project, but over time I realised there were songs that I had written that made a lot of sense together in a project. Each song gives a snapshot into different attributes of my life from the perspective of the past present, and the future. What I like about the project is that it looks on to the moments that have not yet occurred as well, but we (you the reader and I) have hope for. The reason why this sentiment is important to me is because those moments will eventually become memories that we will in turn look back on. It is funny because I am a rapper/songwriter but sometimes it feels like I am not the best with words. I really am hoping you have a feel for what I am offering in my EP. I have songs about navigating friendships in a time when certain friends started getting involved in things that I wasn’t sure about, I have a few songs that touch on the topic of love, especially “Bugs & Lola”. Healthy love is an interesting topic from the perspective of people where I am from. A lot of rappers choose to talk about love from a derogatory perspective which is for some what they have seen and what they know. I don’t want that, especially seeing my parents love, I really want a love like Bugs & Lola.

What instruments do you perform and what excites you most about creating music?

Os: In church, I play the Keyboard, sometimes first or auxiliary keys. I also play the bass but that is a recent addition. In the past, I have learned the trumpet and taught myself a bit of guitar, ukulele, and drums. The most exciting thing about creating music I think is the ability to take something that has already been created, a sample or something that has already been used, a chord and use it in a different way. The endless combinations made available to us as creatives really excites me, because I can hear a chord progression I used in someone else’s song and think, “oh man that was a fun way to use that”. I have a big love for sampling, finding parts of songs that were “completed” and using that as a building block for my song. There is so much to creating music that captures me to be fair, I think seeing it also translate from where I wrote and recorded it onto stage and engaging with an audience.

You represent SE London. What’s it like living there and where should we go watch proper good live music in your area?

Os: I think South East is a unique side of London, so many cultures combined which sometimes leads to conflict but we aren’t just known for that. We have more and more people progressing from here to the World stage. Whether it is politics, technology, music, business etc we are definitely starting to make a name for ourselves. It has definitely calmed down, with the new connections they are building via trains etc everything is starting to get expensive and they are building new flats/apartments so a lot of things look different from when I was young. I would say the Amersham Arms has some good acts and shows every now and then. You have the obvious O2 Arena. The rest is now more about looking out for specific acts, some good ones to look out for a K Lewis, Tenekia-Tabitha, Tidez, Odeal, JimLegacy just to name a few.

Please detail your love for TV and Film?

Os: From a young age one thing that I did a lot was write scripts and storylines for films and television. I think it was often an attempt to recreate things I had seen and finish them in my own way or create my own storyline from the top. I think the combination of audio and visuals is what created the love for me. The ability to build suspense in a scene from camera angle selections and music choice. I did media in 6th Form and this started adding a bit more knowledge to the passion I currently had. While I have not been able to revisit the practical side of film making, for my EP I am trying to implement a few of these things into the visualizers that we are creating. As for consumption of films and TV shows, I try and find a new show to watch regularly. I recently went through majority of the Star Wars saga and I must say the score for those films is amazing, honourable shout out to Daniel Pemberton on the into the Spiderverse and the Man from Uncle score. We all know Hans Zimmer is a staple in that arena and I am waiting for another opportunity to see him live as I missed the last chance.

Last question. What is the best advice you’ve ever given or have been given in the past?

Os: The best advice I was given… I would say that it was “never feel like you can’t start again”.

Listen up closer on Spotify.

Interview by Llewelyn Screen

That True Love: Nigerian singer Eluozo (feat. Rapping Kat) helps our hearts beat lovingly again on ‘One In a Million’ (Remix)

Powered by indie label 3 Shots Productions and remixed by Franky G, Eluozo shows us all his hard work is paying off handsomely with a hot summer track to groove happily with (feat. Rapping Kat) on the new tropical love single which is ‘One In a Million’ (Remix).

Francis Eluozo aka Eluozo, is a supremely motivated and very inspiring RnB solo artist, music producer, and flourishing entrepreneur from Nigeria. He is a passionate creative who genuinely wants to see growth from others, as he performs with a caring edge that most do not possess and wish they had in their locker.

A good start is no guarantee for a good finish, but start good regardless, good is always good.” ~ Eluozo

He sings with such a confident essence, that smells so beautifully warm and has the scary world feeling rather peaceful again. You feel so relaxed in your all-knowing stomach – as you refuse to let go of that sweet love who you treasure so much – even if you can’t be together right now.

One In a Million (Remix) from the multi-talented Nigerian music producer, keyboard player and solo RnB artist Eluozo, is that Afro-Beats fused single that has you believing in romance again. This is that happy-to-go-slow type of feel, that has you wondering if that true love really is so rare as they say. The vocals shine after the cloudy skies and you find some peace on this freedom-finding new track, that is best played loud and with those loved ones.

Hear this new fresh track on Soundcloud and see more on the IG music channel.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Australian singer Nuria showcases her amazing voice on brilliant ‘Touch’

Touch‘ is the latest single from Tasmanian pop singer-songwriter Nuria and this is one to remember.

Inspired by feelings of longing brought about by enforced isolation in lockdown, ‘Touch‘ is punchy and sensual, exploring physical desire and euphoria. Recorded in her caravan studio with superb additional production work by Alice Springs based producer Dave Crowe (aka Resin Moon). This tight pop track will take you to that party place you need to go and is being premiered with AU Review.

We all miss that tough of a human, our souls will be closer and happier. Our hearts desire that feeling so that our spines can tingle and be at one. This is a feeling that will be back soon after this horrible pandemic and it can’t come soon enough.

Exploring her desires, hopes and fears moving into adulthood, Nuria’s keyboard-based tunes have a moody and atmospheric quality and are blended with her soaring vocals and the super catchy beats. The Tasmanian based singer has been building up to the release of her debut album with six single releases and is garnering support from Australian community radio, including ABC Hobart and ABC Darwin, Triple R and features in local and international music blogs.

Nuria, meaning “fire of the lord”, speaks of passion, boldness and captures a spirit unhindered by the constraints of growing up. This energy is captured in her bold and expressive music, fusing electronic synths with her soulful and enigmatic vocals. I love her boundless energy and stunning voice that is flows into your heart with each word.

Touch‘ is a fantastic new song from Nuria who is on top form here. With lots of momentum building, you feel that she is really going for it and I think we could be witnessing the start of something special.

Stream this new track here on Spotify.

Click here for the Soundcloud page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen